


Point of View

by house_of_lantis



Category: Hannibal (TV)
Genre: COVID-19, Lock Down Fest, M/M, POV Outsider
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-02
Updated: 2020-04-02
Packaged: 2021-02-28 18:47:50
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23451940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/house_of_lantis/pseuds/house_of_lantis
Summary: Summary: Franklyn Froideveaux gets an unexpected peek into Dr. Hannibal Lecter’s personal life during their self-isolation.
Relationships: Will Graham/Hannibal Lecter
Comments: 99
Kudos: 868
Collections: Lock Down Fest





	Point of View

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ishxallxgood](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ishxallxgood/gifts).



> Author's Note: It's important to note that I have been heavily influenced by Ishxallxgood to make sure that Buster (aka Best Boy) got his major cameo with Hannibal (aka Favorite Human). HEHE!

_**Froideveaux, Thursday, March 9, 5 PM** _

It took him several hours to determine where to place his laptop so that the background view behind him would meet the approval of Dr. Lecter’s keen sense of elegance and style. Franklyn had finally decided to set up his laptop on his kitchen counter and had taken a few lamps from other rooms to place around the kitchen floor to create a warm glow. After scrubbing down the counters, the floors, and the cabinets, Franklyn spent an inordinate amount of time putting together a few displays on his countertops. He had ordered in fresh cut flowers and fruits, trying this best to make the arrangements look natural, as if he always had fresh flowers and fruits in his home. 

He brushed his hair and neatly trimmed down his beard, and then carefully selected a casual look of dress shirt, necktie, V-neck sweater, and pressed wool slacks. He put on his Oxfords, then took them off so that he was in just his socked feet, and then decided that he should put on a pair of soft leather slippers instead. Dr. Lecter wouldn’t actually see his feet in the angle of the laptop camera, but Franklyn didn’t want to overlook any details. 

Five minutes before his appointment, Franklyn turned on his laptop and clicked on the URL link in Dr. Lecter’s email. This was their private virtual room, Dr. Lecter had written in the email. Each of his patients would have their own private space. Franklyn held his breath as the virtual room connected with a soft chime, pleased to see that Dr. Lecter was already online, sitting in what looked like a dark green velvet armchair. 

“Good evening, Franklyn.” 

“Good evening, Dr. Lecter,” he said, leaning closer towards the laptop to try and get a better view of the room behind him. “How are you holding up?” 

Dr. Lecter smiled, politely. “As well as anyone else. And you? How do you find yourself in your self-isolation?” 

“Ehh...I guess it’s fine.” 

Franklyn squinted, trying to see past Dr. Lecter’s head to the design of the window curtains -- they were probably called “drapery” and not something as mundane as curtains -- the paintings, the title of the books on the coffee table in front of him -- were those animal skulls and antlers -- and he leaned even closer to the screen to see what Dr. Lecter was wearing. 

It looked like his three-piece suit in the royal blue wool. The one that had light gray thread running through it in a subtle window-pane pattern. The shirt looked white, the necktie a beautiful blue and purple paisley and matching pocket square, and it looked like he was wearing black silk socks with his perfectly shined black dress shoes. 

Franklyn sighed, internally. He had wanted to see Dr. Lecter dressed in something casual, like in a dress shirt with the top button undone. Was the man ever dressed down? Did he even own a pair of jeans or a sweatshirt? 

“Franklyn, would you mind sitting further back from the camera?” 

“Oh!” Franklyn gasped, sitting back in his chair so that his face wasn’t so close to the laptop camera. He chuckled slightly. “Sorry about that, Dr. Lecter. I was just trying to, uh, adjust the camera angle from my end.” 

Dr. Lecter gave him a nonplussed look. “Of course. There, that’s much better now.” 

He crossed his legs and folded his hands over them, looking at Franklyn with the same kind of polite interest that he did in his office, waiting for Franklyn to begin. 

“It’s so fascinating to get to see you in your home, Dr. Lecter. Are you in your study?” 

“These are unusual circumstances. Normally, I would not care to share this part of my personal life with any of my patients, but I do understand how critical it is to have continuity in therapy, perhaps even more so now as we live in such an ambiguous state. It’s easy for one to become distracted as a way to cope with our uncertainty and fears.” 

Franklyn nodded, smiling widely. “As you can see, I’m sitting in my kitchen. I had it renovated last year by one of the best architect’s in the city. I heard that you and I have culinary skills in common. I was just putting together my meal plan for the week and -- ” He waved his arm behind him, smacking the flowers and nearly upending the vase. He caught it quickly, pushing it further away on the counter and possibly even out of Dr. Lecter’s view. 

“What would you like to discuss today, Franklyn?” Dr. Lecter said, calmly. 

“I guess...we could talk about my feelings during the self-isolation,” Franklyn started, stroking his beard and staring at Dr. Lecter on his computer screen. 

“What are you feeling?” 

“Well, I guess I’m feeling a little sad -- especially for people who are sick and in the hospital. I mean, it’s just so terrible that so many people have died. Sometimes, I think about being alone. What if I died alone in my house and no one even knew or cared?” 

“This can be quite a difficult time for many people, Franklyn. Your fears are valid,” Dr. Lecter murmured, keeping his voice low and pleasing. “Have you maintained your social ties with your friends and colleagues during this time? I believe that our many technologies allow us to connect, even more frequently now than before, especially so that we are not able to see them face-to-face.” 

Franklyn shrugged. “I suppose that’s true. I could reach out to my mother and my friends. It just feels so impersonal to talk like this. Maybe we could -- ” 

Dr. Lecter gave him a stern look. “Now is not the time to act recklessly, Franklyn. We must do our part to self-isolate to protect each other.” 

“No, no, you’re right, you’re absolutely right,” he said, chuckling nervously. He ran his hand over his head. “Do you ever feel lonely, Dr. Lecter?” 

“This session is for you, Franklyn.” 

“But you must feel something? I mean, you could’ve easily stopped meeting with us and taken a break from it all, right?” 

Dr. Lecter sighed, his lips pressed into a firm line. “I feel that it is my professional duty to provide care to my patients to the best of my ability and -- “ 

“BUSTER! BUSTER NO!” 

Franklyn watched in silent and horrified disbelief as a small, plump white dog with large brown markings on his back, ran into the room and jumped onto Dr. Lecter’s lap, his little round rear wriggling in sheer happiness as little front paws set themselves on Dr. Lecter’s pristine suit jacket, looking up at him. 

“Jesus, I’m sorry Hannibal, I turned my back for five seconds and he took off before I could catch him,” a man said from beyond the camera angle. 

Dr. Lecter rubbed the head of the small dog on his lap, an exasperated look of affection on his usually aloof face as he smiled down at him. Large hands stroked down the dog’s back, patting the rump gently in admonishment. 

“Please, Will, would you make sure that the door is closed firmly?” Dr. Lecter said, his voice softening as he looked up, off camera. 

Will? Who the hell was Will? And what was Will doing in Dr. Lecter’s house with a dog?

Franklyn was in stunned awe of what he was witnessing; there was not an ounce of annoyance in Dr. Lecter’s tone. Was the man always so...unflappable? Did nothing actually bother him? Not that Franklyn wanted to incur Dr. Lecter’s anger. He seemed like the kind of man you didn’t want to anger, even though he was always so polite and even-keeled. 

“Yeah, sure, I’m so sorry to interrupt your session, it won’t happen again,” the man said, stepping into the camera view to collect the dog from Dr. Lecter’s lap. He whimpered as the man picked him up, squirming in his hold as he tried valiantly to return to Dr. Lecter’s lap. 

Maybe this Will person was Dr. Lecter’s housekeeper or something. Franklyn could imagine that someone like Dr. Lecter had a live-in servant, like a butler. 

“Thank you,” Dr. Lecter said, smiling at the man again. 

Franklyn could hear the sound of a door closing firmly off camera, and he watched avidly as Dr. Lecter brushed off the front of his suit and smoothed down his necktie with his hands. He crossed his legs and folded his hands on top of them again, fully composed as if they weren’t just interrupted by a dog and a man wearing a hideously green and yellow plaid shirt and brown cord pants. 

“I didn’t know that you had a dog, Dr. Lecter,” Franklyn said, trying for a light tone. 

“I don’t,” he said, simply, his expression returning to his usual polite interest. “We were discussing your feelings during self-isolation…” 

*** 

_**Froideveaux, Thursday, March 16, 5 PM** _

Going into the second week of the statewide mandatory Stay-At-Home Order, Franklyn was going a little stir crazy. He had rearranged a corner of his home office to make it look like a sitting room, much like the one that Dr. Lecter had in his own home. Franklyn had spent the past few days looking through Pinterest for ideas, and ordering a number of home furnishings from a variety of online stores and paying huge amounts in expedited shipping. Thankfully, he was able to get all the supplies he needed before all the shipping delays started. 

The day before, he steamed and ironed the new drapery to put up on the window behind the new stuffed armchair delivered that morning. He had set up the lamps to create an optimal glow, lighting the corner perfectly. Franklyn was wearing his favorite three-piece blue suit ensemble, very similar to Dr. Lecter’s, and he sat down on the new armchair and clicked the link to the virtual room. 

Dr. Lecter wasn’t on camera yet and Franklyn’s eyes widened at the view of the new room. It wasn’t the sitting room from the previous week, but it was even more fascinating. There seemed to be a whole wall lined with black planter boxes with fresh looking greenery and herbs growing in them. He couldn’t see the whole back wall but there was a tree with wild branches painted on there. It was beautiful and masculine and very intimidating. 

What kind of room was this? Did Dr. Lecter have an indoor plant room? Like a greenhouse or an atrium? Franklyn let out a sigh, wondering what it would be like to live in Dr. Lecter’s home. Secretly, he had driven past the house on Chandler Street and from the outside, it did look every bit as elegant and as imposing as the man who lived there. But he hadn’t been able to find any pictures of the interior of the house; even trying to look through old real estate listings for the property turned up nothing. 

_ “ -- please keep an eye on the temperature, Will.”  _

_ “Yeah, I got it, Hannibal, go do your meeting thing.”  _

_ “It is very important to maintain a constant temperature or else the meat will dry.”  _

_ “I’m pretty sure I can handle watching a meat thermometer for an hour.” _

Franklyn blinked his eyes and then frowned; Will wasn’t a very polite housekeeper. He couldn’t believe that Dr. Lecter would allow anyone to speak to him like that. He heard footsteps walking towards the screen and smiled when he saw Dr. Lecter sitting down in front of the camera view. 

He was pleasantly surprised to see that Dr. Lecter was dressed in a dark burgundy dress shirt, silver gray silk necktie, black vest, and black slacks. It was the most “casual” Franklyn had ever seen him. He thought the red went well with Dr. Lecter’s skin tone and brown eyes. Sometimes, in the right light, his eyes went from a dark brown to a pale amber to a reddish-brown. His hair was neatly combed as usual, but he seemed more distracted than usual. 

“Good evening, Franklyn, please excuse my tardiness.” 

“It’s no problem, Dr. Lecter. Is everything all right?” 

Dr. Lecter gave him a polite smile. “I admit that I am at a delicate point in cooking a roast and therefore need to be accessible to my kitchen.” 

“If you don’t mind my saying, this room is quite enthralling, Dr. Lecter. Is it a...solarium?” 

He gave Franklyn a long look and then sighed, sitting back in his chair and folding his hands on top of the table. “This is, in fact, my dining room. And if I’ve satisfied your curiosity, shall we discuss -- “ 

“I couldn’t help to notice that you have herbs and plants on the walls.” Franklyn pressed, taking full advantage of Dr. Lecter opening up about the new room. “I’m interested in creating an indoor herb garden myself and I wanted to know about -- “ 

“Franklyn, there is nothing you can’t learn for yourself with a few Google searches,” Dr. Lecter said, raising his eyebrow. “Is there something you’d like to discuss today?” 

“How do you deal with irrigation and water -- “ 

“Franklyn,” he said, firmly, lips pressed together. “While I have conducted our sessions in my home, it is not an invitation to discuss it. We each must maintain a sense of courtesy, even in familiar surroundings.” 

“Yes, yes, of course. I apologize for -- “ 

_ “Damn it!” _

Franklyn watched as Dr. Lecter flinched. He had never seen him make that expression before in the three years they had known each other. 

“It’s perfectly fine, Franklyn,” Dr. Lecter said, managing a small smile. “Have you thought about what we discussed last week in regard to your feelings during self-isolation?” 

“Well, I mean, nothing’s really changed so -- “ 

_“Oh shit!”_ _There was a loud bang, like a pot falling on the floor. “No, no, it’s fine! It’s nothing!”_

Dr. Lecter’s face paled, his head turned slightly towards the sounds. 

Then, the fire alarm went off in the kitchen. 

A chorus of loud barks started in the distance. Franklyn thought it sounded like more than one dog - maybe a whole pack of dogs. Did Dr. Lecter run a dog kennel service in his backyard? 

“I’m very sorry, Franklyn, but please excuse me for one moment,” Dr. Lecter said, getting to his feet, and from the rapid tap-tap-tap sound of his footsteps, he was running into the kitchen. 

_ “Will! What on earth happened?”  _

_ “I don’t know! I didn’t do anything wrong. I was just watching the temp like you said and -- something exploded!”  _

_ “Let me turn off the alarm first.”  _

Franklyn bit his bottom lip, leaning closer to his laptop screen. He hit the volume button on the audio so he could hear everything. Whatever computer Dr. Lecter had, the mic was picking up sound so clearly. 

_ “I made a fucking mess. I’m so sorry, Hannibal.”  _

_ “Come here, darling boy, no need to apologize.”  _

_ “I warned you that I wasn’t good at this.”  _

_ “I admit that my pressure cooker may be somewhat complicated and I didn’t provide you with clearer directions for how to use it.”  _

_ “Jesus, I think I ruined the roast.”  _

Franklyn leaned closer, trying to imagine what Dr. Lecter and Will were doing in the silence. Were they kissing? Did someone groan? 

_ “I know how I can make it up to you.”  _

_ “You are a very naughty boy.”  _

Franklyn’s mouth opened and he let out a loud gasp. He hurriedly covered his mouth with both of his hands, his eyes widening. Did he just hear what he just heard? 

_ Will chuckled throatily, mixing with the soft laughter of Dr. Lecter.  _

_ “Yeah, I guess I am. What’s to be done about that, Dr. Lecter?”  _

_ “You’ll clean up this mess you made. I think the roast is salvageable enough that we can use it to make the dogs something delicious. And then later, I’ll have to take you to bed and give you a proper spanking for ruining all my efforts at making our dinner.”  _

Franklyn made a face. Was Dr. Lecter actually sleeping with his housekeeper? For all of Dr. Lecter’s posh manners and elegant suits and sophisticated tastes, it was terribly _ suburban _ of him to be  **fucking** the help. He scoffed to himself, rolling his eyes. In a way, knowing that Dr. Lecter was as ordinary as everyone else kind of brought him down a peg in Franklyn’s estimation of him. 

He sat back in his new armchair when Dr. Lecter returned to his chair, taking a deep breath as he settled into his seat quickly, his hands placed strategically in front of his waist. Was he trying to hide his erection? Franklyn thought he looked dishevelled, his hair slightly out of place like someone had their grubby fingers running through them. His sharp cheeks were flushed and his mouth looked swollen. 

“My apologies again, Franklyn. Now, where were we?” 

“It must be nice to be quarantined with your housekeeper,” Franklyn said, giving him a sly look. “It’s like you get the best of both worlds, right, Dr. Lecter?” 

Dr. Lecter frowned in confusion. “I beg your pardon?” 

“Your housekeeper. Will?” 

Franklyn watched as a myriad of expressions fluttered across Dr. Lecter’s face -- bewilderment, disbelief, amusement, disdain -- and then Dr. Lecter settled on an expression that Franklyn hated to see, polite indifference. 

“While I have said multiple times that I do not wish to discuss my private life, you do seem to be inordinately interested in it, so I only tell you this to dissuade you from making a false assumption,” Dr. Lecter said to Franklyn, staring right into the camera at him. “Will is not my housekeeper; he is my husband.”

What did he just say? 

HUSBAND? 

Did he just walk into the Twilight Zone? 

LECTER WAS MARRIED!

When did he get married? And who was this Will person? Was he properly vetted? Was he after Dr. Lecter’s money? Where did he come from? 

“And Franklyn, I have a great deal of patience for your curiosity into my life. I recognize that that curiosity is only there because I have come to know you so well and you feel a need to know me. But this is the last time I will address the issue of my private life. For you to continue to press upon it beyond this moment, I would consider it quite rude and I find rudeness unspeakably ugly.” 

Franklyn stared at him for a long moment, his mouth opened in shock. “I, uh, okay. I’m sorry for, uh, saying anything, Dr. Lecter. It won’t happen again.” 

Dr. Lecter smiled, nodding agreeably. “Good. Thank you, Franklyn. Now, the time is yours. What would you like to discuss today?” 

*** 

_**Froideveaux, Thursday, March 23, 5 PM** _ ****

For once, his session with Dr. Lecter went smoothly. Franklyn silently noted that Dr. Lecter was probably sitting at a desk in what looked like a very large and impressive living room. There were tall windows along one wall, a fireplace and two large couches on the other side of the room, and another set of tall windows with a beautiful instrument that looked like a fancy piano at the far end of the room. The floor was black and shiny, maybe marble, and Franklyn could hear just a hint of soft classical music playing in the background. 

Dr. Lecter looked quite relaxed in his pale blue cashmere sweater and maybe even a little friendly. He asked Franklyn some really tough questions that made him consider his thoughts before he spoke. Sometimes, he had a habit of just blurting out the first thing that crossed his mind, and it took a few more sessions for Dr. Lecter to help him work through what Franklyn should’ve considered before talking. 

“It’s just been kind of hard to deal with the isolation, even though I’ve reached out to my family and friends,” Franklyn admitted, softly. 

“Change is difficult, especially when your usual support structure is not available to you,” Dr. Lecter said, kindly. “Adjusting to change alone can bring out the best in people, but it can also highlight the worst. Perhaps you should try to consciously think about the best and worst to fully identify the triggers.” 

Franklyn nodded, letting out a deep sigh. “I think that makes sense, Dr. Lecter. You’ve…” 

He trailed off when he saw Dr. Lecter’s husband wearing just a tight white undershirt and pale blue boxer shorts walk into view. He was tall and lean, gorgeous really, with a head of wavy brown hair that was tousled, his jawline shadowed with a light beard. He looked like he just got out of bed after...spending a few energetic hours of it on his back. Maybe that explained why Dr. Lecter seemed to be in such good humor today. 

“Uh, you’ve really hit the mark, I think,” Franklyn said, trying not to give away that Dr. Lecter’s husband was wandering around the house in his underclothes. 

Franklyn watched as Will yawned and stretched, bending down to pet one of the many dogs that were following him. 

That was a very nice ass, and Franklyn wasn’t even into men or anything like that. But he knew a nice ass when he saw one. 

To assuage his concern that Dr. Lecter’s husband wasn’t just a pretty face gold digger, he did a little bit of research into Dr. Lecter’s husband, Will Graham. He was an instructor at the FBI Academy and a former police officer. Franklyn even downloaded a few of Will’s published academic writings on forensic science, and while he didn’t understand most of what he read, he did understand that Will Graham was more than a pretty face. He was a very smart individual, and Franklyn had to, somewhat bitterly, accept that Dr. Lecter had found a good partner. 

“I hope that you’ll continue working through your anxiety and taking the time to do the self-reflection work,” Dr. Lecter said, giving Franklyn a small, encouraging smile. 

“Oh!” Will gasped, standing up and staring at Dr. Lecter. “I didn’t know you were in here.” 

Dr. Lecter looked over his shoulder and then turned fully, using his body to block the camera. “Will! I am in a session with my patient. Please, would you -- “ 

“Oh, yeah, sorry about that,” Will said, nonchalantly. “Come on, guys! Let’s go into the backyard! Daddy is busy working.” 

_ Daddy!  _

Franklyn watched as Dr. Lecter turned back to face the camera, sitting down in his chair again. He looked down and cleared his throat, smiling to himself for a moment. He looked up into the camera, the smile widened until it became a soft chuckle. 

“My apologies for the interruption, Franklyn,” he said, getting himself back under control. Franklyn just smiled and nodded, not saying a single thing about it. “Where were we?” 

“You were talking about doing the self-reflection work,” he said, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. “I ordered a new journal and a fountain pen. I like the idea of actually writing my thoughts down and taking it really seriously. Maybe I’ll gain some new insight and I’ll be able to publish them in my memoirs or something…” 

  
  
  


THE END. 


End file.
